A Change in Protocol
by doesitweighmorethanaduck
Summary: Canon divergence au. Quark and Odo started dating on a whim at the height of the Dominion war to get their minds off of things. But will they be able to make it work in the long run?
1. Chapter 1

"Will you go out with me?"

It seemed like such a silly, insignificant issue when there was a war going on. The entire Ops crew could be dead by this time next year— or next month, or week, or tomorrow. The station itself could even be destroyed, and the way things were going, it wasn't too far-fetched to speculate that nobody was going to get through this war alive. Having a crush on the chief of security was the least of Quark's concerns, or rather, it certainly should have been. But it wasn't. In fact, it was this constant sense of impending disaster that gave Quark so much urgency. He needed comfort. He needed stability. He needed somebody to love him, and Odo was the only person on the station who he knew could give him those things.

Odo stared down at Quark judgementally from across the counter— or at least that was what it looked like to Quark. It was hard to pin down exactly what was going through Odo's mind sometimes. Heat creeping into his cheeks and turning them an embarrassing shade of scarlet, Quark waited with bated breath for the constable's response. His heart was pounding, and his hand was frozen in midair, hovering tentatively over a Rigelian Sunrise he'd been halfway through mixing. Behind Odo, the customer who'd ordered it was tapping her foot impatiently, but Quark didn't notice. His eyes were fixed only on Odo.

Finally, after it felt like Quark had been waiting on Odo's answer for an eternity, the constable cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly and muttered, "I'd say that depends on how you define 'going out'."

Taken completely aback by Odo's unexpectedly roundabout response— to be perfectly frank, he'd been expecting a straight-up, non-negotiable rejection—Quark sputtered and stammered for a bit, face growing hotter by the second. How did he _define_ going out? What kind of question was that?!

Putting a voice to his frustration, Quark snapped, "Going out means dating, you idiot! What else would it mean?!"

"Well, where and when do you think would be convenient for such an activity?" Odo asked irritably, leaning across the counter and morphing his legs a bit longer so he loomed over Quark. "In case you haven't noticed, Quark, we're in the middle of a war!"

Quark flinched, raising his hands with his wrists pressed together; Odo's expression softened slightly and he returned to his normal height, but it was a subtle enough change that Quark suspected he didn't want any onlookers to notice.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to find a single shred of happiness to get me through this Exchequer-forsaken war," Quark said bitterly. Turning his back on Odo, he finally got around to mixing that Sunrise. His customer took the drink with a sigh of relief and speed-walked out of the bar like she couldn't get away from Quark fast enough. Once the customer had left, he sighed and turned back to Odo, who he noted with a touch of annoyance hadn't budged an inch after his not-really-a-rejection. "Well, are you going to accuse me of any crimes today?" he asked reproachfully.

Odo pulled out a PADD and typed something into it as he replied. "I was thinking of it, but perhaps now wouldn't be a good time," he said. "I'll leave you alone now, Quark. Goodbye."

He laid his PADD facedown on the counter before he left. Curious, Quark picked it up and flipped it over. He gasped when he saw what Odo had written on it: "How about lunch at the replimat tomorrow at 12:00 hours?"

Beyond flustered, Quark stumbled out from behind the bar counter and ran out of the bar after Odo, waving the PADD in the air frantically. "O-Odo! Get back here!" he cried, almost tripping over his own feet as he ran down the promenade. "You can't just do this to me and then leave! Do you want to date me or not?! Explain yourself!"

Odo suddenly stopped and turned around as Quark caught up to him, causing Quark to crash into him. Chuckling, Odo turned his body into a liquid material and enveloped Quark in it; Quark ended up with a mouthful of goo, which was none too pleasant and yet exceedingly pleasant at the same time. It was still very weird and uncomfortable, though, and hearing Odo laugh mockingly from _around_ Quark was just plain disturbing.

Simultaneously aroused and indignant, Quark yanked himself out of Odo and pushed the Changeling away. "Why can't you ever just do things like a normal person?"

"Well, as all you solids seem to take so much pleasure in reminding me, I'm not normal," Odo said with a smirk.

Too flustered to think of anything even remotely clever or smooth to say, Quark muttered, "I hate you." Then he turned around and ran away, blushing furiously. He didn't realize he was still clutching the PADD until he was back in his bar behind the counter and busy mixing up another drink.


	2. Chapter 2

Maybe Odo's method could have used a little work, he pondered as he sat alone at the replimat. Quark's question had simply caught him so off guard that he hadn't had time to prepare a proper response. Besides, it was always fun to mess around with that devious little Ferengi— make him sweat a bit before giving him his answer. Still, when all was said and done, dating Quark wasn't the worst thing Odo could think of. All things considered about that criminal, it really should have been, but the ever-present threat of being wiped out by the Dominion made Quark seem almost desirable by comparison. In any case, entering such a relationship would give Odo something else to think about, to get his mind off the war.

Perhaps he should have been clearer with Quark. Then again, how much clearer could he have been than laying out a time and place for them to have their first… get-together?

Odo didn't feel comfortable thinking of it as a date. He'd known Quark too long for such a sudden change in the manner of their relationship to be made overnight; it would be better to see this get-together out and, if it went agreeably, they could discuss the nature of their relationship in depth at a later date.

Noting with increasing impatience that it was already creeping up on 13:00 hours, Odo decided that Quark wasn't coming. Whether he'd missed the point or just changed his mind between then and now, it was clear that the bartender wasn't going to take Odo up on his offer. Odo was about to get up and leave the replimat when Quark ran in at last, wide-eyed and out of breath. He collapsed into the seat across from Odo and wiped sweat from his browridge, panting.

"Sorry I'm late," Quark said once he caught his breath— which took quite a while, but that was hardly surprising, considering he wasn't exactly in the best shape. "I had to deal with some very demanding customers today."

"That's fine," Odo said. Actually, he was quite annoyed by Quark's tardiness, but if they really were going to try dating, they may as well try to be civil with each other for once. "Captain Sisko insisted I take today off— apparently I need to use up some of the unused vacation days I've accumulated— so I've got nothing else I need to be doing today."

"But I bet you got bored waiting for me," said Quark.

He winked, which was a horrifying sight. Quark should never try to act cutesy, but apparently he liked to anyway. Odo told himself he'd better get used to it if they were going to be making such… dates… a regular thing— which there was no guarantee they would, he reminded himself, and this _wasn't a date_.

"Bored? Yes, I suppose so," Odo said wryly, "But it's up for debate whether or not your company will be an improvement."

Quark scrunched up his face and threw his napkin at Odo. "Oh, that's really funny," he said as Odo caught the napkin in his hand and leaned across the table to place it on Quark's head. "You're a regular comedian, Constable, you know that?" He yanked the napkin off his head and smacked it down on the table between them, glaring at Odo.

Quark placed his order— a plate of tube grubs and a tall glass of slug juice— and Odo formed a mug of raktajino in his hand, which of course was just an extension of his body. It was the same thing he did for breakfast with Garak, but Quark seemed significantly more disturbed by the fake beverage. At first Odo took pleasure in creeping Quark out, but when the little bartender kept trailing off halfway through insults and staring at the mug, Odo realized it was making things less fun, and retracted the mug back into his hand.

They carried on bickering for the rest of their date— no, get-together; Odo had to keep reminding himself. Soon enough, the both of them were completely engaged in their battle of wits, to the extent that all things war-related were the last things on their minds. By the time Quark had finished eating, Odo had almost forgotten that there was a war going on.

Of course, the moment their dinner date— because by the end of the evening, Odo had to admit that it was indeed a _date_ — ended, he was reminded of the current political situation when he received an urgent call to Ops. He had to leave in a hurry; he thought that Quark looked a little dejected to see Odo walk out on him without any ceremony, but there was no time for such things.

Even so, all things considered… Odo wouldn't have minded going on more dates with Quark in the future.


	3. Chapter 3

Exactly one week after Quark and Odo had their first "date" (Quark still wasn't sure if that was an appropriate term for whatever they were doing), Odo had to go on an important away mission. Quark drilled him for details over lunch at the replimat, but Odo told him that the mission was classified. From Odo's worried expression and overall subdued nature during the meal, though, Quark could surmise that it was going to be a dangerous one. Later that day, as Odo prepared to board the Defiant along with the rest of its crew, Quark ran up to him and then awkwardly came to a halt when Odo kept walking, brushing past Quark without sparing a glance.

Upset by Odo ignoring him, Quark fell into stride behind the constable and tried to keep up with his businesslike pace. "Come on, Odo, you can't leave without saying goodbye," Quark complained. "What if I never see you again?"

Sighing, Odo turned around to look at Quark. "I don't have time for this right now, Quark," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Alpha Quadrant is in danger."

"But why can't you... why can't I..." Getting increasingly worked up, Quark jabbed a finger over at Nog, who was sharing a goodbye kiss with Jake before boarding the Defiant. "Why can't we be more like that?"

Odo looked startled at the suggestion. "W-well, I just don't think it would be very appropriate..." he mumbled, little ripples of agitation appearing on his body.

"Inappropriate? Screw that!" Quark snapped. "We're dating, Odo, in case you've forgotten!"

"Are we, Quark?" Odo challenged. "Are we really?"

"Well, we go out on dates, don't we?"

"I don't have to stand around and listen to your blabbering," Odo harrumphed. "As much as I'm sure you'd love to be rid of me, you are going to be seeing me again— I'll make sure of that."

With that, he turned his back on Quark and marched off to the Defiant. For the rest of the day, Quark was simultaneously fuming and terrified. He hated Odo sometimes, but the reason he hated him was because that stubborn Changeling was blind to how much Quark loved him. Honestly, it felt like they'd had a more intimate relationship before they'd started going out. Now everything just felt awkward... formal... forced.

As he furiously scrubbed at a stain on the countertop, which he'd been scrubbing at for the past ten minutes to no avail, Quark vented his frustrations about Odo to Morn, who was as good a listener as always. "I swear to the Exchequer, Morn, that man is going to be the death of me," Quark griped. "Why did he even agree to go out with me in the first place if he's just going to be like this?"

Odo cared about Quark; Quark knew that, although he also knew the Changeling was just as in denial about his feelings as Quark had been for years. But they were dating now! Sure, lunch at the replimat every day for a week wasn't very exciting, but if Garak and Bashir could make it work, why couldn't Quark and Odo do the same?

"I tell you, Morn, it's like we're not even dating at all," Quark went on. The stain on the countertop still refused to be scrubbed off. "Not once— not ONCE has he called me his boyfriend, or his significant other, or anything! He's never kissed me, or given me oo-mox, or... or even held my hand! He's never even..." Quark's voice faltered, and he tried without success to blink back tears as they welled up in his eyes. "He's never even told me he loves me!"

Morn gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, but by then Quark was inconsolable. He hunched over the countertop, a shuddering, blubbering mess, squeezing the rag in his hand and causing water to drip all over the counter. The water from the rag mixed with Quark's tears, which in turn were stained dark purple from his eyeshadow. At the sight of the wet countertop, Quark broke into another bout of sobs thinking about how hard it would be to clean it off.

A few days later, the Defiant returned to the station. It had clearly taken some pretty heavy damage, and all of the crew looked significantly worse for wear. Quark hovered anxiously in the docking bay as the crew disembarked, stopping to give Nog a hug and wincing at the cut on his nephew's browridge. He really didn't approve of that boy's career path, but not for the reasons he let on. Starfleet was such a dangerous profession, and Quark had been enough of a nervous wreck without having a kind-of, sort-of boyfriend to worry about on top of his nephew.

The crew of the Defiant took their time disembarking, mainly because most of them had sustained some injuries in their mission. However, Quark was relieved to see that at least everyone was alive. Finally, once almost everybody else was off the ship and on their way to the medbay, the person Quark had been waiting for made an appearance.

Quark wasted no time in running up to Odo and throwing his arms around him. Odo didn't seem to know how to react at first, and he pulled away and held Quark at arm's length for a moment. However, Quark could be just as stubborn as Odo could, and he was determined to get what he wanted. And what he wanted, if for no other reason than that he very well could have missed his chance forever, was a kiss.

Odo's mouth was really nothing beyond a slit on his face that he talked out of; he didn't have lips to speak of. This made kissing him less fun than kissing someone who wasn't a Changeling, but Quark was more than willing to make do with what he had. He clutched at the back of Odo's head as he moved his lips viciously against the constable's mouth, which was halfway open in shock. Odo didn't start kissing back until Quark gave him a little kick in the shin, and when he did it was clumsy and not sexy in the slightest. Whatever. It was still pretty romantic in Quark's opinion, considering the circumstances. Just the fact that he and Odo were finally kissing was enough to make it amazing.

It did make their next replimat date a bit more awkward than usual, but, well… wasn't it worth it just to say they'd finally done something other than sit across a table from each other and talk?


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't that Odo didn't love Quark. Far from it, in fact— he was utterly mortified by just how much he'd come to care about that disgusting little man. However, Odo had his job to do, and Quark was a known criminal. It would have been unprofessional of Odo not to investigate Quark when there was crime on the station. Besides, Odo loved investigating Quark almost as much as he loved Quark himself, and it was plain to see that Quark not-so-secretly enjoyed being the subject of Odo's interrogations.

However, Odo was surprised to notice that the amount of crimes committed by Quark dropped off significantly once they started dating— and yes, Odo had finally come around to admit that they were indeed dating; there was really no other word for what they were doing. Odo still felt a bit uncomfortable referring to Quark as his boyfriend, but he supposed that was what they were now: boyfriends. The word just sounded so childish, though, and Odo avoided using it whenever possible. Of course, this meant that "boyfriend" had quickly become Quark's favourite word.

Naturally, as surprisingly steep as its decline was, Quark's crime rate didn't drop off completely— to follow the law 100% of the time would be against that Ferengi's nature. And Odo, dating though they were, was still DS9's chief of security. When Odo found Quark guilty of smuggling dilithium crystals, he didn't hesitate to throw him in the brig for the night. However, Quark made the whole thing extremely difficult for Odo— not by resisting arrest, as that would have been pointless, but by embarrassing Odo in front of the entire promenade while he was being escorted to the brig.

Leaning up against Odo, who was holding Quark's hand so he wouldn't break away, Quark waved at a Bajoran couple who were passing by. "You two out on a date?" he inquired, speaking a lot more loudly than necessary. "So am I! My man here is just taking me out for a stroll, as you can see."

"That's a lie," Odo growled; if he'd been solid, his skin probably would have been growing hot. "What I'm doing is escorting this criminal to the brig— where he belongs!"

A few people stopped to stare at them. Not wanting to be gawked at by onlookers, Odo sharply tugged Quark along. He wasn't in the mood for his lawless boyfriend's antics. Flashing their observers a grin, Quark used his spare hand to squeeze Odo's backside. Irritated, Odo let go of Quark's hand and instead formed an extra appendage on his back to wrap around Quark's wrist and lift him up off the ground.

"My, my, Constable!" Quark giggled as he dangled in the air in front of Odo, blushing. "Why can't you be more like this in the bedroom?"

Odo snorted contemptuously and dropped Quark, who immediately hopped to his feet and ran off back toward his bar. "Don't think you can get out of this that easily!" Odo shouted, running after him. "You're going to spend the night in a holding cell; end of story!"

"Come and catch me, then!" Quark taunted, although by the time the words were out of his mouth, Odo was already upon him. Quark didn't put up too much resistance, but he did take the opportunity to get in a quick kiss on the lips. Grunting, Odo pushed Quark's head back and dragged him the rest of the way to the brig at a brisk pace.

Once Quark was in a holding cell, Odo had a stern talk with him through the force field.

"Quark, your behaviour just now was completely unacceptable," he said. "Just because we are... dating—" he spoke the word in a growl— "does not give you a free pass from adhering to the law."

"Oh, I never adhere to the law if I can help it," said Quark, batting his eyes. "Surely you must have figured that out by now, my darling constable."

"I figured it out a long time ago," Odo barked. He was getting fed up with Quark's attitude. "That doesn't mean I'm going to stop arresting you when you do something illegal."

Apparently all out of flippant remarks, Quark drew his knees up to his chest, pouting. Odo harrumphed and left the brig. There were other, more important crimes on this station he could be monitoring.


	5. Chapter 5

About a month and a half into their relationship, Quark had come to the conclusion that Odo had absolutely no idea how to be or have a boyfriend. That man was impossible to negotiate with. Quark kept asking if they could do something other than replimat dates, but Odo said he didn't have time. Apparently it had altered Odo's schedule drastically enough to take forty-five minutes out of his day for their replimat dates, and he was afraid that the station would be overrun with petty crimes if he put aside any more time for dates with Quark. Odo seemed utterly oblivious to the obvious fact that they didn't need to get together at the replimat every single day, which Quark was equally flattered and annoyed by. On the one hand, it was nice to know that Odo wanted to spend time with him every day, but then again, Odo had taken these dates as an excuse to stop visiting Quark at his bar as often. To make up for this, the constable had taken to investigating Quark over lunch. Being interrogated about crimes by your date was kind of irritating, believe it or not! Honestly, and not for the first time, Quark wished Odo would go back to acting more like he had before they'd started dating. Maybe it would have been better had Quark never asked Odo out to begin with.

Of course, the ever-present anxiety about the war didn't help. However— as terrible as it was to say— in an odd way, the Dominion war was good for Quark and Odo's relationship. Having his own people on the enemy side was clearly putting Odo under a lot of stress, and Quark would take any opportunity to comfort him. One night, after Odo had reportedly been forced to kill a Changeling that had infiltrated the station, Quark was surprised to hear his door chime. He answered the door, and Odo staggered into Quark's quarters wordlessly, a vacant look in his eyes.

"Um, Odo, what...?" Quark began, taken aback.

Odo, unresponsive, wandered over to Quark's bed and collapsed onto it, partially melting into his natural state. Quark realized that it must have been just about time for Odo to regenerate. Why had he come to Quark's quarters?

Although Odo's body had gone translucent, gooey, and partially amber, he still maintained his humanoid shape. It was a rather unsettling sight, but Quark put aside his squeamishness, lay down on his bed next to his boyfriend, and wrapped his arms around Odo. His arms got stuck in Odo's torso, and the semi-liquid Changeling sucked Quark partway into his body. It was a strange, sort of uncomfortable feeling— he felt like he was stuck. If he was going to be stuck, though, it might as well have been with his boyfriend. Odo needed his comfort, and Quark was going to provide it.

"I love you," Quark murmured sleepily after cuddling with Odo for a while. The inside of his shimmering amber body was warm and relaxing, almost like a bath; it made Quark feel drowsy.

He'd never told Odo he loved him before— not in so many words— but he'd always thought it went without saying. Maybe he'd been wrong, but from Odo's laid-back reaction, he doubted it. The reaction in question: Odo briefly formed a hand— although not an arm to go with it— at his side and squeezed Quark's hand with it. Quark could have sworn he heard Odo murmur, "I love you, too," but it was hard to say for certain if he'd just imagined it.

Quark woke up the next morning lying in a puddle of amber goo. He yawned, rubbing sleep out of his eyes, and grimaced at his sticky hands and pajamas. He could feel the sticky substance on his face as well. He carefully lowered himself off the bed, trying not to disturb Odo as he did so. He'd definitely need a sonic shower before he headed into work today.

A few minutes later, just as Quark was about to head off, Odo slid off the bed and resumed his humanoid form. Despite being a Changeling, whose appearance was entirely under his own control, Quark couldn't help thinking that Odo looked a bit more disheveled than usual.

"Well, good morning to you, too," Quark muttered as Odo walked wordlessly past him and out the door. Then to himself once Odo had left, "you'd think he'd at least thank me for letting him crash in my quarters with no warning."

The intimacy of that night's experience didn't quite register with Quark until halfway into the day. He almost dropped the glass he'd been polishing when he realized Odo had slept— or regenerated, but whatever, it was basically the same thing— in Quark's bed and hadn't said a thing about it before or after the fact. Did that mean Odo would be interested in spending the night in Quark's quarters again sometime? Or had it just been a one-time thing? Either way, Quark could hardly believe how lucky he was.


	6. Chapter 6

The morning after Odo spent the night in Quark's quarters, he was a bit late getting into Ops. When asked why, he explained what had happened— that he'd been shaken after the previous day's events, and had sought out comfort in the form of spending the night with Quark. Jadzia raised her eyebrows upon hearing this, and Odo thought he saw her whispering about it to Kira later. He had no idea what she thought was so amusing.

At least, he had no idea until various crew members started making offhand remarks to him such as "and here I always thought you'd be asexual!" or "congrats on finally nailing your little Ferengi. I heard he's pretty easy, though, so I bet it wasn't hard." (Odo thought the latter comment was exceedingly inappropriate, and he made a mental note to have a talk with that ensign later.) Odo wasn't exactly sure how or why nearly all the occupants of Deep Space Nine had fallen under the impression that he and Quark were sleeping together, but he suspected that Quark had been involved in spreading the rumour. Well, Odo planned to set the record straight; he and Quark certainly had become more physically intimate than they'd been when they started dating, but nowhere near to the extent that everybody seemed to be under the impression of.

Their growing intimacy hadn't been solely a result of Quark managing to wear Odo down. Odo had rethought his relationship with Quark, and had eventually concluded that he'd been going about things the wrong way. Entering a romantic relationship— or any type of relationship, for that matter— was more than just a minute adjustment in one's daily routine. It meant making that routine less rigid to make room for Quark when he wanted to spend time with Odo. It meant a change in Odo's protocol for dealing with Quark. It meant... change, in general, on a larger scale than Odo was accustomed to.

After Quark pestering him about it for literally weeks on end, Odo finally deigned to take him out someplace other than the replimat. More specifically, Odo decided to be a good boyfriend and support Quark's business by going on a holosuite date at the bar. It was a fairly generic program— a beach at sunset— but Odo had allowed Quark to choose the program, so he had to go along with the choice his boyfriend had made.

Honestly, Odo had been dreading this date, because he'd thought Quark would choose a program that consisted of no more than a hotel room, or at least contained some sort of bed. Apparently, though, Quark wasn't just using this date as a ploy to get Odo into bed with him. He actually wanted to do something romantic. Odo would have made fun of him for it, but Quark already looked embarrassed enough when he started up the program and a stretch of silver sand and gently rolling aqua waves appeared around them, so Odo decided to ignore the seemingly out-of-character choice in holoprogram and appreciate the romance.

While a holographic sun glittered on simulated water, the two men walked along the beach and talked. Quark told Odo about his day, and Odo did the same. After walking along in silence for a while when they ran out of things to talk about, Quark stopped and began to draw on the sand. His attempt to write in Bajoran was amateurish at best, but the grin he gave Odo once he finished writing "Q + O = " in the sand made up for the slanted characters.

Despite how much he loved Quark, Odo didn't want to seem so foolishly sentimental, so he crossed his arms and harrumphed. "I see you know how to write," he teased. "Impressive."

Sticking out his tongue, Quark scooped up some sand and threw it at Odo, who let the sand hit him despite being easily able to avoid it. The sand wasn't real, anyway, so it hardly mattered. However, that didn't mean Odo was going to let Quark win. Growing his hands larger so they could hold more, Odo pelted Quark with sand relentlessly. Hissing, Quark toppled over onto the ground, holding his hands in front of his eyes.

Amused by Quark's dramatics, Odo let the holographic sand slip out of his hands and stooped down to kiss Quark on the forehead. Blushing, Quark muttered, "See, Constable, you're getting better at this." Before Odo could ask for clarification about what he was getting better at, Quark grabbed Odo by the shoulders and pulled him down into a long, passionate kiss.

Unlike what Odo would have expected a few months ago, kissing Quark was actually quite nice. Then again, Odo had never kissed anyone before Quark. People had tried to pressure him into dating, but Odo just hadn't seen the appeal before.

He was, however, starting to see that appeal now.


	7. Chapter 7

Life was good. It seemed impossible for it to be so good, in fact, during such a terrible war. But since Quark wasn't involved in fighting said war, he could do a much better job of ignoring it than most of his friends could. He knew he was a horrible person for pretending everything was fine when it obviously wasn't, but sometimes ignoring it was the only way Quark knew how to cope. Were it not for Odo, Quark probably would have had a nervous breakdown.

One day, when all anybody could talk about was the war, Quark finally snapped from the stress. He got up and left the bar, leaving Broik in charge until he got back, and made his way down to Odo's office. He needed to see his boyfriend, to get some reassurance that everything was going to be okay.

Odo looked surprised to see Quark come into his office uninvited, and Quark didn't blame him. Not giving the constable time to tell him off, Quark climbed onto Odo's lap and started kissing him. It felt good- a nice distraction from the fact that everything was terrible. Quark closed his eyes and let himself melt into his gelatinous lover, savouring the slightly salty taste of Odo's mouth. He could almost forget about the Dominion entirely.

Then Odo shoved him away and Quark was jerked back to reality. Quark sat on the floor and blinked up at Odo, distraught at how genuinely furious Odo looked.

"Quark!" Odo snapped, standing up and glaring down at Quark. "Get out of my office immediately!"

"Wha...?" Quark began, dumbfounded. Why was Odo so angry?

A couple months ago, sure, this would have been expected, but... Odo liked kissing Quark now— he'd admitted so himself not too long ago! Plus, when Odo, day after day, would barge into Quark's bar and start interrogating him, did Quark complain? No, because he loved any and all time he spent with his boyfriend! Sure, chief of security was objectively a more important job than bartender, but earning profit was just as important to Quark as keeping DS9 crime-free was to Odo.

"Do you want to know why I'm angry at you, Quark?!" Odo demanded. Before Quark had time to answer yes, he did, Odo barked, "I am in the middle of figuring out who is responsible for the murder of an ensign two days ago! If the killer isn't apprehended, they could strike again at any time, and any one of our friends could be next! Is that worth a few seconds of pleasure to you, Quark? Is it?!"

It most certainly was not, but Quark wasn't sure how to make Odo believe that when Quark had just come into Odo's office and started kissing him without consent. Quark had assumed Odo wouldn't mind, since they kissed all the time on dates— plus, people kissed each other all the time on holoprograms without asking if they could first.

Obviously, he'd been very wrong.

"Get out of my office, Quark," Odo said again, this time less loudly but with even more seething anger beneath his stern words. "We will discuss this on a later date."

Quark scampered out of the office with a whimper and ran back to his bar, ashamed. What had he been thinking?! Odo must have absolutely hated him now, and Quark couldn't even slightly blame him.

Obviously, they wouldn't be meeting at the replimat that day, so Quark didn't bother dropping in to check... is what would have been the case if Quark had any self-respect whatsoever. Instead, he spent the better part of an hour hanging around the replimat alone just in case Odo did decide to show up. He didn't, of course, and Quark was left even more humiliated and miserable. He really hated himself sometimes. He was just so starved for affection and he couldn't get it from anywhere else but Odo! Of course Quark understood that Odo's work was more important than romance, but still... For a shape-shifter, Odo wasn't half as flexible as one would think.

"We'll discuss this at a later date". That's what Odo had said, and yet they never did discuss it. The constable stopped dropping by Quark's bar, and after two weeks of showing up at the replimat every day just in case, Quark finally accepted that he and Odo weren't going to be having any more dates. Quark supposed that meant they'd broken up. It was a strange thing to think about— that after so many years of pining after Odo, Quark had finally got what he wanted out of the constable only to screw it all up.

It was probably what he deserved.


	8. Chapter 8

Odo should have hated Quark. He was angry at the bartender, naturally— not because his work had been interrupted, but because by now Quark should have known better. Odo should have broken up with Quark, in that case, right? And yet, for some inexplicable reason, Odo couldn't bring himself to do it. He still loved Quark too much to officially break things off, but he was too frustrated with Quark to keep seeing him. And so, the two of them became trapped in a sort of relationship purgatory. If they ever interacted again, Odo was afraid that their relationship— or lack thereof— would be finalized. He wanted to avoid that for as long as possible, because truth be told, Odo wasn't sure whether or not he wanted Quark and himself to carry on being a couple.

Until he could make up his mind, Odo went out of his way to avoid interacting with Quark. Naturally, crime rates on the station increased, since Odo stopped investigating Quark altogether, and other security officers rarely thought to do it because it was a widely accepted fact on DS9 that investigating Quark was something Odo did.

However, this removal of Quark from his life left a gaping hole in Odo's daily routine. Even before the thought of entering a romantic relationship had occurred to him in the slightest, Quark had taken up a lot of Odo's time. Keeping a close eye on that criminal was always a priority— who knew what that conniving Ferengi could be getting up to if Odo wasn't around to watch him? It was safer for everyone if Odo was constantly checking in on Quark— only to make sure he wasn't up to something.

For some people, it would have been easy to fill the gap left from cutting someone so integral to their daily schedule out of their life by spending more time with friends. However, Odo wasn't a social person. He wound up spending a lot of time every day prowling around the promenade near Quark's bar. Part of him— most of him, actually— desperately wanted to talk things over with Quark and put things back to normal between them. Yet his fear held him back from doing so— fear that if he talked to Quark, it would only make things worse.

Another thing Odo used to fill the time was reading the Bajoran romance novels that Quark always used to tease him for getting so invested in. After reading over a hundred of said novels, Odo began to see why they weren't exactly considered high-class literature. The plots and characters were more or less the same every time, and it was fairly easy to predict exactly how each novel was going to turn out. Still, the romance novels were a form of escapism that Odo appreciated during this period of romantic unrest.

Often, the characters in romance novels had some sort of falling out toward the end, providing some much-needed conflict in an otherwise dull story. Somehow, though, they'd always end up reconciling just in time to give the novel a happy ending. The type of people who read Bajoran romance novels weren't looking to come away depressed— they wanted to be cheered up.

One night, Odo came back to his quarters at the end of the day to find a PADD lying facedown on the floor outside his door. He stopped in his tracks as his door automatically slid open. The PADD was of a Ferengi design; there was only one person who could have left it there. With a thick layer of apprehension accompanied by an unexpected pang of anticipation, Odo grabbed the PADD and then ducked quickly into his quarters to read the message. Maybe Quark had come around, and this was an apology for having acted out of line. Knowing Quark, that wasn't very likely, but Odo had found Quark to be capable of many unexpected things in their time as a couple.

Even if it wasn't an apology, Quark had no doubt written this message begging for Odo to take him back. The whole thing was probably riddled with ridiculous sentiment. Smirking to himself as he imagined sending Quark a reply just ambiguous enough to make him worry before agreeing to reinstate their relationship, Odo turned the PADD over and began to read.

 _"My beloved constable, I have deduced from your continued avoidance of me that you no longer wish to be in a relationship with me,"_ the letter began. _"I understand and accept that. However_ —"

 _Ah, here it is_ , Odo thought, bracing himself for second-hand embarrassment from Quark's presumed begging.

 _"—You took enough of my time while we were together that I feel you owe me some form of monetary compensation. Specifically, I ask for five bars of gold-pressed latinum. I feel that this is only fair after you cheated me out of so much time which could have been spent earning profits instead of out on dates with you. Please have my payment ready by tomorrow. You can deliver it in person if you wish."_

Odo lowered the PADD, stunned. Quark didn't want him back after all. He just wanted money. Well, of course he wanted money— why should Odo have suspected anything else from a Ferengi? And yet he had suspected something else, and realizing he'd been wrong left Odo more disappointed than he ever thought he would be about such a situation.

Quark was over him. But Odo wasn't over Quark.


	9. Chapter 9

Contrary to the effect he hoped his letter gave off, Quark couldn't have been further from being over Odo. He wanted the constable back desperately, but he didn't want Odo to know how pathetic he was.

Quark had written countless sappy letters asking Odo to meet him at the bar, or at the replimat, or some other romantic location to talk things over, but none of them had felt right. Honestly and integrity wasn't how Quark operated, and being upfront about their feelings was rarely how he and Odo did things. Surely Odo would guess Quark's real motivation, though. He didn't care about the money (well, he did care about the money, but he cared about Odo more). However, he didn't actually think Odo owed him a thing, because the time they spent together was always its own reward. To Quark, true love was its own kind of profit.

The next day, Odo dropped by the bar right on schedule with five bars of latinum. It was the first time Quark had seen him there in far too long. Quark's breath caught in his throat when Odo marched, businesslike as ever, through the doors. Odo stopped and looked around, but Quark could tell he wasn't scanning the bar for him. Odo knew exactly where to find Quark: behind the counter serving drinks. No; Odo was probably marveling at how long he'd managed to stay away. Everyone loved to come to Quark's, after all. After a moment, Odo gathered himself and approached Quark.

"Here's your latinum." Stony-faced, Odo dumped the latinum on the countertop and turned to leave without another word.

Quark grabbed the latinum eagerly and tapped the bars together to make sure Odo wasn't scamming him— sure enough, it was the real deal. The unmistakable sound of genuine latinum was music to Quark's ears, but he didn't understand why Odo wasn't sticking around to talk. He did realize what this was really about, right?

Just in case he didn't realize, Quark grabbed Odo's hand before he could walk away. "Odo, wait," he said urgently. "Where are you going?"

"I gave you your payment, Quark," Odo said. "What more do you want?"

"Wait, so you actually thought that's what this is all about?" Quark wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. How could Odo be so clueless? "I can always do with a bit more latinum in my life, sure, but..."

He trailed off, unsure of how to end his sentence. With Odo standing right before him, staring him down questioningly, Quark didn't feel comfortable with admitting that the transaction had just been an excuse to make Odo drop by Quark's so they could talk. He had assumed that if Odo still loved him, he'd want to stick around and chat a bit anyway. Quark had been making a lot of illegal transactions as of late in hopes of getting Odo's attention, but the constable never investigated him anymore. Surely now that they were in the same room, Odo would be forced to stop ignoring Quark. However, it didn't look like that was going to be the case after all.

"Is there something else you want out of me?" Odo inquired. If his tone had been genuinely inquisitive, Quark might have considered giving him an honest answer. But the constable's voice was thick with sarcastic cloyingness. He knew there was something Quark wanted, but he wasn't going to give it to him.

Sitting back on his barstool, Quark dropped Odo's wrist and let his hands fall into his lap. "I've got all I want from you. I just wondered if there was anything you wanted from me."

It stung to pretend to be neutral about Odo, who he still loved and wanted back more than anything. But Quark couldn't let Odo see how much of an overly-dependant mess he was. Quark needed to stand on his own now— it was clear that Odo wasn't interested in talking to him even now that he had an excuse to do so, which meant that he probably just wasn't interested in Quark at all anymore. In that case, it would be beneficial to Quark's barely existent pride to act like the feeling was mutual.

Odo harrumphed, turning to leave. "Then I don't see what we have to talk about," he said.

As Odo left, Quark stared after him dejectedly. To cheer himself up, he admired the five bars of latinum. It was enough to pay off the debts he'd been building up, which meant he wouldn't have to cut his workers' wages again. At the risk of sounding like a philanthropist, he hated having to do that. You never knew when they might decide to form another union.

But no amount of latinum in the world could make Quark and Odo get back together again. Only they could do that, and as far as Quark could tell, he was the only one who was still interested.


	10. Chapter 10

After the transaction took place, Odo felt that he had no reason to keep avoiding Quark as he had been. It was obvious that Quark held no interest in resuming their relationship. It wasn't what Odo wanted, but who could say? Perhaps someday Quark would change his mind. Probably not. It didn't really matter, though, did it? They could at least be friends, or enemies, or whatever it was that they had been before.

Quark seemed relieved when Odo started dropping by the bar to investigate him again. Even when Odo found Quark guilty of a crime and threw him in the brig for a night, Quark was happy about it. He tried to hide it, complaining louder every time, but his veneer of hatred was paper-thin as always. It was almost enough to make Odo think Quark was still in love with him. Almost.

One day, when Odo dropped by Quark's as per usual, he was surprised to find Quark wasn't there. He didn't know the name of the Ferengi Quark had left in charge, but they informed Odo that Quark was out. Odo pressed for details, but the man behind the counter knew nothing of Quark's whereabouts other than that he was still on the station. Odo was relieved to hear that much, at least. He didn't like it when Quark wasn't on DS9. The outside world was dangerous; Quark needed to be kept safe. It was a beyond childish way of looking at it, but Odo was always a fool when it came to Quark.

The computer revealed that Quark was on the promenade— nearby enough that he probably wouldn't be gone for long. Odo waited around the bar for Quark since he had nothing better to do at the moment— although truth be told, he probably would have waited even if he'd had something more urgent to attend to. Again: he was foolish in matters concerning Quark. Some might say it was a side effect of love. A few months ago Odo would have scoffed at such a sentiment; how good could love be if it made you soft in the head? But that was before Quark's hand in his as they walked together down the promenade, before the look on the bartender's face when their eyes met, before Odo altered his appearance to include the other half of a nonexistent heart necklace that Quark had wanted to buy but deemed too expensive. Odo had always thought solids' obsession with love was ridiculous until he'd fallen in love himself.

Quark showed up soon enough, humming a cute, cheery little tune. He was terribly off-key, which he must have known full well with those Ferengi ears of his, but he didn't seem to care. Odo didn't know the cause for his good mood, but it clearly wasn't profit-related. Quark had a bouquet of flowers tucked in the crook of his arm— fancy ones. Odo recognized them as having been sold by a Betazoid vendor who charged an overly steep price. If Quark hadn't felt it was worth it to scrape together enough latinum to buy a heart necklace, there was very little chance he had bought those flowers himself. Someone else had given them to him. And from the looks of it, that someone was the reason for Quark's good mood.

It took Quark a moment to notice Odo sitting on a barstool with his hands cupping his chin. When Quark's gaze landed on Odo, who gave him a cautious smile to see how he'd react, Quark broke into a grin— a nervous one, but the sight of his jagged little fangs always made Odo's guard drop. Odo's fake smile melted into a real one, and he held Quark's gaze for as long as he could.

"Up to no good as usual, I presume?" Odo asked fondly.

"Huh?" Quark blinked rapidly as though jerking back into reality. "Uh, yeah, you could say that."

Face flushing, he grabbed a vase from his collection of glasses and hastily filled it with water. He shoved the flowers inside without taking off the paper wrapped around them; being submerged in water made the paper soften and fall to pieces. Odo reached over and fished the scraps of soggy brown paper out of the vase while Quark chewed his lip and drummed his fingers on the countertop, not meeting Odo's inquisitive gaze.

"They're very nice flowers," Odo remarked. The comment only prompted Quark's face to turn a darker shade of red. "Too nice for you, I'd say," he added with a teasing smirk. "Knowing you, you probably bought this bouquet off the black market."

"Well, good luck trying to arrest me for my floral arrangement purchases, Constable, because I did no such thing," Quark shot back, plucking a flower out of the vase to sniff it disdainfully. Nose wrinkling, he threw it over the counter; Odo picked it up and took a sniff himself. The scent wasn't too overpowering, but it wasn't something he'd want to make a perfume out of. "These aren't even real flowers. I replicated them to make them look like a bouquet from that booth on the promenade."

Odo stared Quark down. "You're lying."

"What makes you so sure?" Quark demanded.

"Simple," said Odo, tilting his head and giving Quark a smug smile. "If you'd really replicated these flowers, you wouldn't have told me so."

"How can you be certain?" Quark challenged, leaning across the counter and narrowing his eyes. "Honesty is the most important part of a relationship."

That word— relationship— confused Odo. Caught him off guard. "Need I remind you, Quark," he said, wincing internally at the truth of his next sentence, "We're no longer in a relationship."

"Well, uh, yeah." Suddenly Quark dropped his gaze. He fiddled with the stem of one of his flowers— a bright yellow blossom with petals that formed a star shape. "About that... do you maybe wanna, y'know, get back together?"

The proposition seemed too good to be true. Odo wanted nothing more than to get back together with Quark. He just hadn't thought Quark felt the same way. In fact, Quark had given Odo every reason not to think so. But if Quark's offer was genuine— and why wouldn't it be? — Odo wouldn't hesitate to take him up on it. He just didn't want to let Quark know how eager he was.

"I suppose there'd be worse things," Odo drawled, putting his hand on Quark's and relishing how the action made the bartender's face light up in red. "Maybe we can meet at the Klingon restaurant on the promenade tomorrow at 12:00 hours to discuss it in more detail."

Quark nodded, bringing his free hand up to his face to cover up his blush. On his other hand, he interlaced his fingers with Odo's. "I'd like that, Constable," he said. "But..."

"But?" Odo asked sharply.

"...But you're paying for lunch," Quark said, flashing Odo a devious grin. Then he ducked in, kissed him, and pulled away again like a frog's tongue lashing out to catch an insect.

Odo gazed fondly at Quark across the countertop. He loved that criminal well beyond reason.

After a discussion the next day, they came to the conclusion it had been obvious that they would. For them, there was really no other conclusion to come to. It was official: for better or for worse, they were a couple again.


	11. Chapter 11

Out of equal parts common courtesy and fear of doing something to upset Odo again, Quark did his best to be a better boyfriend the second time around. No more barging in unannounced, no more kissing without permission, and a little more willingness to spend money on things.

Luckily for Quark, Odo never asked for material things, but Quark took it upon himself to make the occasional purchase whenever he saw a merchant peddling something he thought would mesh with his boyfriend's bland, pasty aesthetic. More often than not, though, these gifts were actually things Quark managed to acquire by accident one way or another and didn't want for himself.

"I don't need a lamp shaped like a mushroom," Odo complained when Quark brought his latest purchase over to Odo's quarters.

Quark pouted; Odo sighed and took the lamp out of his hands, but he didn't look happy about it. The lamp didn't come with receipts, so Quark had been hoping Odo would like it, but apparently it was ugly enough that even that beige-clad snoozefest of a Changeling didn't like the colour scheme.

"I think it'd fit right in," Quark said, waving his hand to draw attention to the neutral-coloured walls and floor. "Besides," he added, fluttering his eyelashes and letting a couple of his teeth poke up over his top lip, "I spent twenty-five strips of latinum on this thing. And I bought it for you."

He hadn't actually bought the lamp for Odo— what had really happened was that Quark had placed an order a while back for the hideous lamp for a customer in exchange for the twenty-five strips of latinum he claimed to have spent on the lamp. However, the customer had changed their mind without giving Quark his money back (of course) and now Quark was stuck with an ugly lamp he didn't want. Odo didn't have to know any of that, though. As far as he was concerned, all the tacky gifts that now adorned his quarters had been bought with him in mind.

Odo harrumphed, but the corner of his stony frown twitched and Quark knew his tactics were working. He could probably convince Odo to do just about anything with this method. The constable had a weakness for Quark's fangs.

"I'll take the lamp," Odo said at last. Tucking the mushroom lamp under his arm, he stepped aside and beckoned for Quark to come in. "In fact, since you're here, why don't you come inside? There's something I've been meaning to ask you about."

Cautious, Quark stepped into Odo's quarters and let the door slide closed behind him. On the back of that door hung a framed picture of a wheat field with the word "growth" superimposed across the top in large, cursive font. Quark had won it in a lottery instead of the lifetime supply of Saurian brandy that had been the grand prize. Not knowing what to do with the picture, he had given it to Odo, who had agreed with minimal resistance to hang it in his quarters. This had been the first of Quark's many gifts, and if he kept things up, the mushroom lamp wouldn't be the last.

Taking Quark's hand in his, Odo pointed to the far corner of the room. "Do you think I should put a bed there?" he asked.

It must have been a joke— Odo didn't sleep. If it was a joke, though, Quark didn't get it. "What do you need with a bed?" he asked incredulously.

"I don't need a bed, but you would," Odo said matter-of-factly. "I was thinking of inviting you to stay here with me— to live here, I suppose."

"What?" Quark shrieked, digging his nails into Odo's hand out of shock. Odo dropped his hand away, frowning. "S-sorry," Quark muttered, tucking his hand behind his back guiltily. "I just... living together? Us? Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Only for the time being," said Odo; his casual veneer was replaced by stiff and awkward mannerisms that Quark had seen in him many times before. "And only if you want. But, yes, living together... that is my offer."

Quark didn't know what to say. He knew at once that he wanted to say yes, but he also knew it was a terrible idea. They'd only been going out for around seven months— only around five and a half if you didn't count the time they'd spent broken up, which Quark supposed he shouldn't count, since they by definition weren't dating during that time. Plus, it was hard enough for Quark and Odo to make things work as it was. Adding a shared living space into the mix couldn't have been a great plan.

The only reasonable option was to turn Odo's offer down. So that was exactly what Quark did. He could tell Odo was disappointed, but the constable did his best to hide it, so Quark humoured his efforts by acting like he couldn't see how dejected Odo was. He figured it didn't make much difference, anyway. Odo would get over it.


	12. Chapter 12

Day after day, Odo asked Quark if he had reconsidered moving in together, but Quark was adamant about his decision. "One of these days I'll love to live with you, Odo, but not yet," Quark told him. "Neither of us is ready for that kind of commitment yet, and you know it!"

Maybe that was true. Odo didn't necessarily think so, but as Quark would readily point out given the opportunity, Odo's knowledge of social situations was limited. How two people could be in love with each other— and they were most certainly in love with each other; either that or Quark was even more of a devious liar than Odo thought— but not want to spend as much of their time as possible together was beyond him. He even pointed out to Quark that moving in with him would maximize their time spent together each day, and Quark replied by screwing up his face and muttering, "That's kind of what I'm worried about."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Odo pressed. "You do like spending time with me, don't you?"

"Surprisingly, yes," Quark said. "But if you were to become the first and last thing I see every day, I'm not sure the sight of you would be so appealing— which it already isn't, mind you," he went on. Odo snorted and rolled his eyes; Quark snickered briefly but then let out a sigh and became serious again. "Truth be told, Odo, I'm not sure how much more of you I can take."

When he slowed down and really gave it some thought, Odo realized with a pang of unease that he felt the same way. As much as he and Quark loved to tease each other, some of their gripes with each other were genuine. They had to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they could make their relationship work in the long term before they made any hasty decisions.

One way or another, though, Odo did feel like advancing their relationship. He was ready to do something new. Something big. Something he knew Quark wanted far more than he did, but something Odo had always wanted to try just to see why solids prioritized it so highly.

While Odo was investigating Quark that day, he brought his hand up to the Ferengi's ear and traced the outer edge with his thumb and forefinger. A tremor swept through Quark's body and a tiny gasp of pleasure escaped his lips. Encouraged by the result, Odo grabbed Quark's other ear as well and began rubbing them both. Quark's breath hitched; he backed into the shelf of bottles behind him and sent several of the brightly coloured glass containers falling. Odo formed extra appendages to catch the falling bottles without taking his eyes or hands off of Quark— or without letting up on his interrogation.

Soon he had coaxed a confession out of Quark, along with many other confessions, some of them for things he knew Quark hadn't done. This satisfied Odo much more than what he was doing with his fingers, but of course for Quark it was the exact opposite. It was the sort of clumsy, up-against-a-wall experience that Odo had never thought happened in real life when he read about them in Bajoran romance novels. Apparently he'd just been proven wrong yet again.

After a few minutes, Quark jerked away, face flushed and breathing heavily. "Let's go... back to my place?" he panted.

"That sounds like a satisfactory arrangement." Odo swept Quark up into what his human friends called a bridal carry and pulled him into a kiss, which Quark returned with vigour. Odo would have been perfectly happy to carry Quark to his quarters in this manner, but Quark hopped down out of his arms, grabbed him by the wrist, and ran all the way to his quarters pulling Odo along behind him.

Once they got inside, Quark fell back onto his bed, short of breath from running. Odo held back a scathing comment about Quark's low stamina— he thought such a taunt might ruin the mood— and instead climbed on top of him and started kissing him again. He let Quark instruct him on how to give good oo-mox, although he knew his hands were still clumsier than the sort Quark must have been used to. Still, Quark didn't complain. He even tried to return the favour, and although Odo didn't get much out of it since he wasn't a Ferengi, he tried to shift his ears a bit bigger and better formed so that Quark wouldn't have an excuse to comment on Odo's minimalistic features.

It didn't go any further down than the ears, but for a Ferengi, it didn't need to go any further down. Once Quark was finished off, he lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, panting. Odo still had a lot more energy left in him, but he lay down beside Quark nonetheless. It hadn't felt as good as Odo had hoped, but obviously Quark had gotten a lot more out of it. And at the end of the day, Odo was happy as long as Quark was happy.

The morning after, Odo walked with Quark to the bar before splitting off and heading to his office. He stopped to give his boyfriend a quick kiss and a nose nuzzle after checking to make sure nobody was watching.

"I love you," Odo murmured fondly, his voice a gravelly whisper just in case they were being listened in on for some reason. "Now stay out of trouble, you hear?"

"No promises," Quark purred, adding, "I love you, too," before heading into his bar to start the day.


	13. Chapter 13

A lot of couples had a particular holoprogram they liked to use. Others had a song that, whenever it came on, prompted them to cry, "They're playing our song!" Quark would sometimes play recordings of an old earth song about being in love with a criminal and try to get Odo to sing along with it, but it was more to annoy Odo than anything else. Even Quark thought the song was high-pitched and irritating, and Odo refused to associate it with their relationship because, in his exact words, "The singer is speaking to her mother. I have no mother to speak to about my love for a criminal." Quark thought that was a stupid reason, but since he hated the song anyway, he didn't mind.

So he gave up on finding a song for them and instead turned his focus to finding some other piece of media they could enjoy— hopefully not a holoprogram, because more often than not, Quark's characters in those programs ended up in danger. If the safety protocols were to fail one day, where would that leave him?

No, indeed, a holoprogram wasn't what Quark was looking for. He wasn't sure just what he was looking for until Julian offered him a copy of an animated Terran film from the early twenty-first century. One of the many unwanted items Quark had accumulated and given to Odo was an ancient relic from Earth's past called a TV set which came with an item called a DVD player, so after getting a little help with setting it up, Quark and Odo sat down on the floor of the latter's quarters and watched _Ponyo_ together.

It didn't take long to figure out why Julian had selected this particular film for them to watch together. Quark gave Odo a meaningful look when the human protagonist carried the fish girl around in a bucket. Odo sighed. "I hope you don't try that with me when I'm regenerating," he huffed. "Knowing you, you'd probably spill me."

It was way too bright, philanthropic, cheery, and childish for Quark's taste, or rather, it certainly would have been if he were an ideal Ferengi. Then again, if Quark were an ideal Ferengi, Odo might not have fallen in love with him. So, after an hour and a half of bright colours and happy children, Quark looked up at Odo and decided that _Ponyo_ was their movie now.

Quark spent the night in Odo's quarters, surrounded by all the ugly gifts he'd pawned off to his boyfriend. Against the odds, it ended up being the best and most restful sleep Quark had gotten in a long time. His dreams were filled with images of living in a house right next to the Great Link, carrying around a plastic bucket filled with shimmering amber liquid, and Odo running along on top of waves during a rainstorm.

Quark was jolted awake in the morning by a gargantuan crash and a mighty shudder beneath him. Dreams vanishing like sand sinking into water, he sat up and looked around, dread knotting in his belly. Another crash, another shake— the whole station was shuddering from the impact of some unseen attack!

"Odo," Quark whispered, his mouth dry. The last thing he knew, Odo had been in his natural state, in his old bucket so as not to disturb Quark's sleep. Now Odo was already up and on his feet. He ran past Quark and out the door without a word, but this time, Quark couldn't blame him. Whatever was happening now was far more urgent.

There was another tremor. To avoid falling over, Quark clutched at the strange, arching decorations Odo had installed to practice his shape-shifting a while back. He was absolutely terrified. His terror increased tenfold in the span of a split-second when he saw something amber and fast-moving slide out of the air vents in the ceiling.

Before Quark could so much as scream for help, the thing was upon him in a semi-translucent blur. He was thrown backwards, amber slime filling his mouth and preventing any sound from escaping it. _I hope Odo is okay_ was the last thought that went through his head before his head connected with the wall and he blacked out.


	14. Chapter 14

Hopefully Quark was all right. Odo had no reason to think otherwise, and yet he couldn't stop worrying about the little bartender no matter how hard he tried. Quark always seemed so delicate— Odo highly doubted he'd be able to hold his own in a fight. In the holoprograms they occasionally used when Quark wanted to go on a more exciting date, Odo was always there to come to the rescue. But now, his first priority was getting down to Ops. His civilian boyfriend would have to wait. Surely by now Quark understood that. By the resigned look on his face as Odo had run out, it certainly seemed that way.

However, Odo didn't get very far. Despite knowing he had to put business first, he didn't think twice when he heard Quark cry his name before turning around and running back toward Quark's frantic voice. He found Quark running after him along the upper level of the promenade. The station shook again, and Quark shrieked, clutching the railing so he didn't topple over the edge.

"Quark!" Odo ran to him and pulled him away from the rail, clutching him protectively as the floor beneath them rattled. "Where do you think you're going?!"

"I was going to work," Quark stated in a calmer, more manner-of-fact tone than Odo would have expected. Odo puzzled over this for a moment, but then Quark blinked slowly and lapsed into a more whiny tone. Maybe the universal translator had momentarily malfunctioned? "Businessmen on Ferenginar never let thunderstorms stop them from going into work and making money. Why should I be any different?"

Exasperated by Quark's stubbornness, Odo held him firmly at arm's length. "It's different because this isn't a thunderstorm on Ferenginar! DS9 is under attack!"

"And I suppose I'll be safer in your quarters than I will be at the bar?" Quark challenged. "Face it, Odo— we're probably screwed either way."

"Everything is going to be fine, Quark," Odo said. He wasn't sure exactly how much he believed himself. Quark clearly wasn't letting up, though, so Odo decided there was no point in fighting over it. "Go into work if you want," he sighed. "Just don't expect many customers right now."

"I would have done that even without your permission," Quark huffed. His jacket felt strange under Odo's hands, like it wasn't quite the right texture.

Eyes shifting to Odo's grip on his shoulder, Quark jerked away, baring his teeth in a quiet hiss. Odo realized with a jab of guilt that Quark was genuinely upset with him. _What did I do?_ he wanted to ask, but he knew he didn't have time for that. Their relationship had withstood many trials before. It could survive this, too.

"I realize you're an independent man, Quark," Odo said. "I'm sorry if I made you feel like I was trying to control you. I'm just worried about you."

Quark sighed and hugged Odo, the embrace lasting a couple seconds longer than either of them usually cared for. "I know, my love."

Odo balked; that was the first time Quark had used any sort of traditional term of endearment on him. "The UT _must_ be acting up," he mumbled aloud to himself. "You never talk that way…"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I guess not." Something odd passed over Quark's face— a trick of the light, most likely. It made him look almost… shimmery. "Anyways, I've got to head into work, and you've got to go do your security work, so… bye for now, okay?"

Quark backed out of Odo's grip and headed off to his bar. Still puzzled by his boyfriend's strange behaviour, Odo watched him unlock the door and flip the sign over from "closed" to "open". It looked like the bar was completely empty apart from Quark.

Oddly enough, Quark didn't seem at all bothered by the fact that none of his employees were there. He definitely wouldn't be getting any customers for a while, which made Odo wonder why he even wanted to be at work in the first place. Perhaps he had some nefarious transactions planned for today that he couldn't reschedule. Odo wanted to stick around to check if this was the case, but there were more urgent matters. He was most likely needed in Ops, so it would be wise to get down there as soon as possible.

However, Odo once again didn't get far. No sooner had he turned around and taken a single step away from the bar than—

 _ **BOOM!**_

The station was rocked by another explosion— the first one in a few minutes, oddly enough. Odo's footing stayed secure, but he wavered nonetheless when he realized that the blast had come from directly behind him.

He didn't need to look behind him to see the smoking ruin which was now the bar, but when he did, Odo wished he hadn't. The sight made it seem more real. And this was something he really, really wished wasn't real. But it was.

Quark's bar was a blackened, hollowed shell of an establishment; the upper level had collapsed entirely in a jumble of debris and shooting sparks. Fires had started in a few places, triggering the somewhat faulty sprinkler systems. The shattered glass of the windows was scattered on the floor outside. Odo cleared these shards in a bound as he lunged through the haze of ashes, shouting Quark's name. The rational part of him already knew he wouldn't get an answer, but this knowledge only made him yell louder and with more desperation.

"Quark! Where are you?!" Odo scanned the bar frantically, hoping against hope to see the proprietor of the destroyed establishment staring back at him. He saw no such thing— only ash and soot coating splintered wood, and shattered glass of every colour dotting the charred floor. Tension rising in his voice, Odo called out once more. "Quark!"

Still he was met with nothing but silence. Empty, burnt, dead silence. Feeling more utterly defeated than he'd ever felt before, Odo dropped to his knees and stared vacantly ahead at the singed counter. His eyes fell on the spot where Quark stood day after day, serving drinks. The spot where he still should have been.

The spot where he never would be again.


	15. Chapter 15

Quark lapsed back into consciousness slowly, and wished he'd stayed passed out for longer when he did. His head was throbbing, his clothes were rumpled and stained with blood that he supposed must have been his own, and he was in a very uncomfortable position: shoved upside-down in a cramped, empty closet, the inside of which was pitch-black.

Wriggling around so he was on his knees, Quark felt around for a knob or handle to open the door. He wasn't even sure which wall was the closet door. "Computer, lights!" he called, wincing when his surroundings were washed in brightness a moment later.

It took a moment for his eyes to adjust, but once they did, locating the door handle became much easier. Quark tumbled out of the tight enclosure and into Odo's quarters. In the corner of the room, the old earth TV set was still there along with the DVD player; they'd forgotten to turn it off the night before, and the word "DVD" written in blue still bounced from corner to corner of the black screen.

Quark rubbed his head and cringed when his hand came away bloody. Undoing the top few buttons on his lacy shirt— he'd slept in his clothes, and now said clothes were slick with sweat and the aforementioned blood— he struggled to remember the last thing that had happened before he'd blacked out. "Ugh... computer, what time is it?"

"The time is nine hundred hours," the computer's response rang out, clear as ever. Quark sighed with relief; 9:00 in the morning meant he hadn't been out for very long. It did mean he was late for work, though. Hopefully whoever took it upon themselves to fill in for him was doing a decent job. Quark tried to be more law-abiding these days for Odo's sake, and though it made his boyfriend happy, less illegal activity meant less money for Quark. The bar was his only steady source of income, and tending bar wasn't something just anyone could do. As much as he hated his boring job sometimes, he needed it— without the bar, Quark didn't know how he'd ever get by.

Once Quark's head had cleared and the incessant throbbing in the back of it had died down somewhat, an objective came into focus: locate Odo. In Quark's experience, he was always a lot safer with the constable. Besides, even if the danger was over, Quark needed to know if Odo was okay.

The computer informed him that Odo was at Quark's bar. Quark blinked in confusion, trying to work out why Odo was there when Quark wasn't. Since Changelings couldn't eat or drink, the only reason Odo ever came to Quark's was to investigate Quark, and he'd rushed out a couple hours ago knowing Quark was still in Odo's quarters.

Well, whatever Odo was doing at the bar, Quark was going to head right over there and join him. As he walked through the habitat ring toward the promenade, Quark observed with relief that the station had stopped shaking— whatever had been attacking them was gone. The Ops crew must have driven it off while Quark was unconscious.

Stepping out onto the promenade, Quark saw immediately that something was wrong. Throngs of people were clustered around his bar, but none of them were trickling in through the door. At first Quark was afraid that his absence had prompted his workers to start some sort of protest, but when he got a little closer, he saw the real reason: Quark's bar no longer had a door. Or an upper level, walls, a ceiling... the whole thing was blown up. Gone. Destroyed.

"Hey! What's going on here!?" Quark demanded, shoving through the clustered crowd. Many people let out startled gasps when Quark pushed past them. "Who did this?"

A Starfleet ensign stepped forward, a stunned look on her face. "You... you're the bartender!"

"Yeah, I am," Quark snapped. He wasn't usually this short-tempered with potential customers, but seeing as his bar was currently a smoking pile of rubble, this was kind of an exception. "Why, you got a problem with that?"

"N-no, of course not!" The ensign shook her head, wide-eyed. "It's just... Constable Odo said you were in the bar when it exploded."

Quark narrowed his eyes. How could Odo have thought that? Quark had been unconscious in Odo's quarters the whole time.

"Where's Odo now?" he asked, glancing around the crowd gathered around his destroyed bar. "Is he here?"

"He's right over there." The Starfleet ensign pointed, gulping. "...In the bar."

That was all Quark needed to hear. He pushed his way through the crowd and came out into the decimated bar that had been his livelihood. Sure enough, sitting hunched over on his knees with his back to Quark was Odo.

It was obvious from just a look at him— let alone what the ensign had said— that Odo wasn't expecting to see Quark alive again. No doubt he'd think this was some kind of a cruel trick. Quark hovered behind the constable for a moment, unsure how to approach such a situation. Finally, after being unable to come up with a line that seemed clever enough, Quark simply reached out and gently tapped Odo on the shoulder.

Odo flinched, little spikes of agitation momentarily shooting up from him back. He turned to glare at Quark, but his expression shattered the instant their eyes met.

Quark still couldn't think of anything to say. Some flippant comment like the suave protagonist of a holonovel might say, perhaps— such as "You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" But that sort of line didn't seem right. Quark didn't feel flippant about this in the slightest. Besides, those suave characters always seemed better suited to Odo. Quark was more often than not the damsel in distress. Helpless to get himself out of danger. Always reliant on his valiant constable to save him.

Something about profit, maybe. That was probably what Odo was expecting him to say. It was the most likely thing to convince Odo that it was really Quark. And yes, Quark was genuinely devastated by the destruction of his bar. Who wouldn't be? But even if it was the subject Odo was expecting, it didn't look like what he wanted to hear.

Fortunately, Quark didn't have to come up with anything to say. He opened his mouth anyway, thinking he could just make something up as he went along, but he was promptly cut off before a single word could get out when Odo threw his arms around him.

Whatever Quark had been expecting, it definitely wasn't this. Odo's grip was tight, but Quark had already known this. He just hadn't realized how desperately the constable's hands could grip at the back of Quark's rumpled, bloodstained shirt. He didn't remember making the conscious decision to move his arms, but Quark wasn't too surprised to find himself hugging back a moment later. Half the station must have been there outside what used to be a fine establishment, watching Quark and Odo embrace. Quark didn't care, and in that moment, he didn't think Odo cared either.


	16. Chapter 16

With Quark nestled comfortably in his arms, Odo watched the scene in _Ponyo_ in which the human named Sasouke carries the fish creature in a bucket. He looked over to his own bucket, which he hadn't used in years, and chuckled as he imagined Quark having to take on the role of Sasouke and convince Mora Pol to let Odo stay on land. Glancing down at the half-asleep Ferengi he was cuddling with, Odo highly doubted Quark would be up for the task. Odo didn't mind that Quark wasn't everyone's ideal significant other, though. He was just glad they were still together.

The days and weeks following the destruction of Quark's bar had been beyond stressful. Rebuilding the bar was easy enough, but for the span of time during which he was out of a job, Quark had resorted to petty crimes as his only source of income. Odo's job had never been harder. Still, his residual relief that Quark hadn't died in the explosion prevented him from getting too mad, or staying that way for long when he did.

Scans of the premises had revealed that the person who'd entered the bar that day had been a Changeling. It was unclear exactly what their plan had been, but it was safe to say they hadn't succeeded. Quark claimed to take offence to the fact that Odo hadn't been able to tell it was an imposter. Odo could tell Quark wasn't really angry about it, but he did wonder if he should have known. He took it as a sign to spend more time with Quark so that they'd know each other even better than they already did—if such a thing was even possible.

To limit Quark's opportunities to commit petty crimes (admittedly, that wasn't his only motivation, but he would never admit that) Odo had taken Quark to Risa for a few weeks while his bar was being rebuilt. Tomorrow they would be heading home, but for now, basking in the environmentally-regulated warmth of a tropical sun seemed more appealing than it would have under any other circumstances. It was funny how things that Odo was normally opposed to became tolerable to him only when Quark—arguably the least tolerable person in his life—was involved. Now, it was after dark and they were lying in bed together in their cabin, probably one of the only (if not _the_ only) couples there not currently having sex.

In his arms, Quark squirmed, nuzzling his cheek up against Odo's forearm. "Y'know, Odo," he mumbled groggily, "we should really do this more often."

"Do what?" Odo asked. "Cuddle? Watch old Terran films? Go to Risa?

"All of it," Quark replied.

Odo smiled and squeezed Quark's hand, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "Don't worry," he murmured. "I'm sure we will."

Once they'd finished watching _Ponyo_ for the fifteenth time—of course Quark teased Odo about keeping track, but what didn't they tease each other about?—Odo stopped to tuck Quark in before sliding off the bed to regenerate. In the morning, it was time for them to head back to the station.

When they were climbing into their runabout together, Quark rubbed sleep out of his eyes and grumbled about how unfair it was for them to have to get up so early—"Couldn't we just stay a couple more hours?" This complaining kept up all the way back to the station, and as grating as it was, the runabout would have felt a lot emptier without it. Odo and Quark didn't always mesh together perfectly, and quite often they didn't mesh at all, but somehow, they were making it work. And if that wasn't a testament to the power of love, Odo didn't know what was.

The Dominion war was still raging on; casualty lists became longer every day. The war wouldn't go on forever, but for now, it could feel that way from time to time. Everybody had something or someone to keep them going in these hard times—something to make them smile. Music, religion, games, holoprograms... things, big or small, they could always turn to when things got rough.

And as for Quark and Odo?

They had one another.

-fin-


End file.
